Checking Day
by Scotty1609
Summary: It's a normal test day for YJ, only- guess what!- NO POWERS 4 TODAY! No, just mental torture.  Yes, i've been to a therapist, thank you!  BTW: JLU members not in YJ show up! Why? BCAUSE I SAID SO!
1. Kaldur'ahm

**Okaaaay, im new at dis so pleese b nice!**

**FUNNY STORY: I uploaded all of de chapters, den realized that i didn't put in the stuff dat says "i dont own dis" so had to come back and do dis crud.**

**BTW: I DO NOT AND WILL NEVER OWN YOUNG JUSTICE OR THE JUSTICE LEAGUE (sad face)**

It was the dreaded, sour _Checking Day_...

For the members of Young Justice, this meant that their mentors would be coming to Mount Justice to test them, check on their progress with their powers and abilities. All six of the young heroes were nervous, each one trying to find a way to cope with impatience as they waited for their mentors to arrive. M'gann was in the kitchen, cooking who-knows-what; Superboy was watching the TV, or rather, static; Artemis was polishing her bow and triple-checking her arrows; Kaldur'ahm was practicing with making different weapons with his water staffs; Kid Flash was eating like crazy; and Robin was doing something on his computer.

They all sat, their minds filled with worry and their stomachs full of butterflies, even though none of them would admit it.

There came a robotic voice. _Batman- 02... Superman- 01... Aquaman- 08... Green Arrow- 09... Martian Manhunter- 04... Wonder Woman- _the heroes' eyes grew wide as they whispered, "What is she doing here?"- _03... Hawkgirl- 06... Flash- 04... Green Lantern- 07... Red Tornado- 12... Black Canary- 13..._

The six teenagers stood and rushed to the front room, shocked to see all of the Seven standing there (along with Green Arrow, Black Canary, Red Tornado, and Aquaman). Kaldur gulped and took a step forward. "We are very pleased to see the Founders all here," he said softly, "but may I ask... why?"

Hawkgirl grinned, shifting her mace to her shoulder, her hip popping out. Kid Flash was almost drooling as she spoke. "We were interested in meeting you guys- after all, you are our Black Ops team."

"Come on," Batman ordered. He motioned for the others to follow him. The Leaguers and Junior Leaguers were all lead into the practice room. They stopped at center-stage, the juniors in the middle of the huddle as all of the adults watched them with an intense curiosity. The mentors could all see nerves in their own proteges, but not in anyone else.

Batman adressed the junior team. "Today, we want to see what you all can do- _without _your powers."

There was a collective gasp among the meta-humans. Artemis and Robin simply shared a haughty look before snickering at their teammates. Green Arrow and Batman eyed the two, and the snickers came to a halt.

Batman turned back to the team. "You will be put under massive stress, testing the brink of your _normal _abilities." He turned and motioned for Superman to step forward. The Man of Steel handed what seemed like metal collars to Kaldur'ahm, M'gann, Superboy, and Kid Flash while Batman spoke. "These will disable your powers to avoid _cheating_," he eyed Kid Flash, "or an accidental use of your powers. This happens when meta-humans are put under extreme pressure."

He turned to the other Leaguers and nodded. They all proceeded to the steel-enforced command room, fifty feet above the arena. "Start them off easy," Diana said to Batman. He half-smiled.

"They can handle it."

He set it at Level 5. Flash and the other mentors looked worried. "Ah, Bats," Barry said, pulling down his cowl, "_we _are on level 9. What makes you think they can handle level 5?"

Batman smiled. "They can handle it."

He turned on the microphone. "We are having you go one at a time. The machine analyzes your brain, picking out your fears. It will create a scenario that you must overcome to pass. Then, the images will fade away. Kaldur'ahm, you're first."

The team wished their leader good luck as he stepped out onto the field. Aquaman stepped closer to the glass to get a better view of his pupil.

Aqualad watched as the arena turned into a burning warehouse. _Why is it always a warehouse? _He asked himself. The building itself was a hologram. But it sure did look real.

There was a low roar, and Aqualad turned, only to be thrown back into the wall by a tall, dragon-looking monster. It roared and spewed fire. Kaldur dashed out the way and reached for his water blades. "Crap," he said under his breath. He only had two short sticks of metal, as his powers had been disbanded. The dragon spewed fire and burned the teen's feet as he jumped away. Kaldur didn't wince. He knew that King Corin was watching.

He needed a plan.

Taking in his surroundings, Kaldur saw a large box that hadn't caught fire. A plan, simple, yet working, formed in his mind. He shouted at the beast a string of Atalantean insults, and it roared at him, a shrill shriek filling the room. It again burned his skin as he jumped away.

Kaldur leapt onto another box, but it broke beneath him. Suddenly, he was in yet another box, but this one was made of metal. It was ice-cold and pitch-black. He felt the metal closing in on him, suffocating him. But there was still light above him-

Scratch that. A lid shut out all light.

"Do not panic, do not panic," he told himself, feeling light-headed. His caulostrophobia sunk in, and he began to hyperventilate. "No," he gasped, swallowing back a choke on air. "Calm... down..."

He felt above his head, his shoulders touching each side of the box. Sweat poured down his face and thick biceps, even with how cold the box was. His mind drifted back to when he was a child...

_There was a Manoboura, a giant eel/snake/shark creature approaching Atlantis. Little Kaldur'ahm squealed when he saw it. "Mommy!" he cried. "It is so big!"_

_She saw the beast and cried out in fear, dragging her son inside. She led the small boy downstairs and into a basement of sorts. Kaldur's father appeared. "Mar'isaal," he said in his deep, sonorous voice, "stay here with Kaldur'ahm. I am going to help the soldiers."_

_Kaldur stood, grinning. "I want to help, Papa!"_

_Smiling, U'ram put both of his massive hands on the tiny boy's shoulders. "Not now, Kaldur. Some day, when you are bigger."_

_Grabbing his trident, U'ram swam up the ramp and out the coral house's door. Mar'isaal grabbed her son close and sat in the corner, as far from the opening as possible._

_Suddenly, a great quake shook the building. Kaldur squeaked as his mother held him close to her chest. "Mommy! You are hugging too hard!"_

_She smiled sadly. "I am sorry, Kaldur'ahm." But her grip didn't loosen._

_Another quake, much more violent, shook the house._

_Suddenly, the pillars holding it up broke under the stress of the quake. Kaldur'ahm shrieked, and Mar'isaal pushed him under an outcropping of rock. The pillar fell- right on top of the woman. Her blood soaked into the water, mixing around in a haze of red. "MOMMY!" Kaldur screamed, tears mixing in with the water as he cried openly. Another pillar fell, breaking off any escape for the five-year-old. He dug at the rocks, breaking open the skin on his fingers. More red seeped into the water, spinning around in a cloud. He sputtered as it went up his gills. He choked on dirt from the broken pillar. "MOMMY!" he screamed hoarsly. "PAPA!"_

_Nothing happened._

_Kaldur'ahm dug and dug and dug, more blood and dirt going into his gills, choking the poor boy over and over again. He cried and cried and cried, but never broke through the rock. Slowly, he grew weary. Curling himself into a ball, he cried himself to sleep, blood and dirt still floating around him in the tiny enclosure..._

Now, as Kaldur felt around the box, he heard his mother's screams. Tears flowed down his cheeks as he whispered, "Mommy..."

Suddenly, he banged his fingertips against a tiny gap. It was so small, almost no light came from it. But it was enough.

Kaldur gripped his metal rods firmly and slammed them into the gap. There was a creak, and a groan, and the metal door gave way. Kaldur jumped out, finding himself on the floor of the cave's training room. There was no fire and no dragon. His knees felt like Jello, and his face was bloodless, but he managed to walk over to the bench on the side of the cave and sit down on it. Robin patted his shoulder encouragingly while M'gann gave him a huge bottle of icy water. He sighed. Why had Batman brought up those memories?

Aquaman's proud voice came over the microphone. "Excellent job, Kaldur'ahm! Wallace, you are next."

Gulping, Wally _walked _to the center of the training room. The lights dimmed, and the smell of liquor and blood filled the air. "Oh, God..." he hissed.


	2. Wally

**DO NOT OWN YJ OR JLU OR JLA OR ANYTHING HERE DANG IT!**

Gulping, Wally _walked _to the center of the training room. The lights dimmed, and the smell of liquor and blood filled the air. "Oh, God..." he hissed.

Suddenly, Mirror Master appeared, thrashing sharp shards of glass at him. Without his superbly inhuman speed, it was difficult for Kid Flash to dodge the shards. A few scraped by his arms and legs, and he winced as warm blood dripped down his bright gold suit.

Mirror Master threw back his head and laughed, and continued to drive Wally backwards. Wally didn't know what to do. He always had his powers, but now...

He was forced onto a chair, and Mirror Master disappeared, only to be replaced by a tall man in all black holding a crowbar. He raised it and hit Wally straight in the gut.

Up in the moniter room, Flash was biting his lip, fear filling his eyes as he watched his nephew being hit by nothing. All he saw was Wally, there, his head whipping back and forth. He knew that there would be no damage, but there would be pain. It was difficult to explain... He watched Kid Flash continue to thrash.

Wally's mind tried to process the situation, but his brain was pounding against his skull, and it didn't help that memories kept popping up. One caught his mind and dragged him into it.

"_WALLACE!"_

_The 8-year-old flinched and looked up into his father's blood-shot eyes. He reeked of alcohol, and there were stains on his white tee-shirt. He grabbed the boy by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall. Wally whimpered, and Rudolph growled at him. "Buck up, boy!"_

_He threw his son onto the ground, and Wally grabbed his wooden train he had so recently been playing with, holding it to his chest as he scooted into the corner. Rudolph growled at him. "Why're you... so weak?" His voice faltered from his drunkeness._

"_I-I-I'm sorry, Daddy!" Wally cried. "I-I-I'll be stronger! I p-p-promise!" He wailed._

_Rudolph slapped his son across the face, leaving a red handprint on the boy's freckled cheek._

_Mary West ran down the stairs and saw her son in the corner. "Rudolph!" she cried. "I- I have supper almost ready! Wally, sweetie, go wash up."_

_Wally stood to go, but his father slammed him back into the wall. The boy let out a cry of pain and dropped his toy. "WALLY!" Mary shrieked as Rudolph grabbed the closest, heaviest thing in the room- a carjack. He raised it over his head and brought it down sharply on the boy's leg. Wally let out a blood-curdling screech as his bones snapped._

"_WALLACE!" Mary cried, pulling on her husband's arm. He turned on her and whipped the thin iron rod against her head. She fell, completely still, her wide, empty eyes facing her son._

"_MOMMY!" Wally screamed as blood seeped slowly from her head and lips._

_Rudolph turned to his son, his eyes furious. He raised the carjack and slammed it into Wally's ribs. There was a loud _crack _and Wallace screamed, clutching the wound. Then, he heard sirens._

_Rudolph raised the carjack again, and Wally shrieked as it came in contact with his right arm._

_Black overwhelmed the boy._

Wally looked up at his captor. He growled deeply in his throat. Just as the crowbar came down, Wally grabbed it. With a whip-like movement, he kicked the man's gut and rolled over his hunched-over back before twisting the crowbar from his hands. A well-aimed hit in the solar plexus knocked the man out. The visage dissapeared, and Wally grinned up at the control room. He saw his uncle give him a thumbs up. He returned the gesture before walking over to the side.

Batman's voice came on. "Miss Martian, ready yourself."

With a deep gulp, M'gann hugged Artemis and walked out onto the field of battle.


	3. M'gann

**I DO NOT OWN DA JLU or DA JLA or DA YJ!**

**SO LEAVE ME ALONE, U COMMUNISTS!**

With a deep gulp, M'gann hugged Artemis and walked out onto the field of battle.

Everything was pitch-black. A cold breeze rustled her hair and cloak, making her shiver. Suddenly, a small light appeared. M'gann walked towards it, trying to run away from the shadows that reached out to snatch her away. She got closer and closer, and saw that it was a torch. She gasped and decided that shadows would be more appreciated than the deadly flames.

Before she could move, she found that her shoes were melting into the ground. She tried with all of her might to pull away. She levitated her body- or at least tried. _Oh curse these collars!_ she snapped in her mind. The torch suddenly formed a face. The face of a baby- M'gann's youngest sister, Lill'an. She smiled and reached out, cooing a nursery ryhm to the infant.

Suddenly, the face turned into one of horror.

The jaws were large and had huge, flaming teeth, razor-sharp and bright as the sun. The eyes were hollow and empty, only showing death. M'gann screamed as it snapped at her, tearing her cloak. She reminisced on why the fire scared her so much.

_All Martians hated fire. It made their powers useless, and it was hot. Mars was freezing cold, always icy, but never snowy. No Martian ever saw snow. After all, there was no atmosphere on Mars. There needn't be one- all Martians could breath with whatever gases or no was there. This came from their four lungs and heart sized as a baseball._

_M'gann was in her first year of school at Sh'ockla Academy. She wrote down all of these notes in her journal. She tried to stay focused, but her mind kept drifting off. She doodled pictures of Earth plants and people- a girl and a dog; a boy and a father; a mouse and a block of cheese (where that came from, she had no clue). Suddenly, she heard her name being called._

_The teacher frowned at her. "M'gann. Do you know the answer to the question?" she asked in the native Martian language._

_M'gann looked at the board quickly, taking in the simple problem. 'If one schnoffler equals two schmorgufs, and two schmorgufs eaquals one scouchzer, how many schnofflers equals a scouchzer?'_

"_Four," she said, an innocent smile. The teacher grinned. "Excellent job, M'gann."_

_Then the screaming came._

_The teacher rushed to the window, but a large ball of flames shattered the window and engulfed her. All of the Martian children screamed, rushing to the back of the room, as their teacher burned to a crisp. More flame-balls shattered through the skylight and burned through the walls. Hot tongues of fire burned M'gann's aqua/green skin. She shrieked, seeing her best friend, Mayor'ii, being burned to ashes. All around her, her classmates screamed and ran around, third-degree burns on their skin. M'gann tried to summon a force shield, but the fire sucked away what little powers the girl had. She screamed, feeling the fire all over her skin. It stung, it burned, it ripped her in two._

_Then, she heard a familiar voice._

_Her uncle._

"_M'GANN!"_

_She blacked out._

M'gann looked fearfully at the monster. She had to kill it, but how? First, she had to get away. She pulled her feet from her shoes and stood on the ground- scratch that, the ashes. White ashes.

Wait! Ashes!

She grabbed up handfuls of the cold gray and white and threw it at the fire. At first, nothing happened, but as she piled on the ashes, slowly, the firey face dwindled into nothingness. M'gann grinned triumphantly as the image faded. She saw her teammates grinning at her, and, looking up into the control room, she saw her uncle looking down at her. He flashed her an extremely rare smile. She grinned back and skipped over to her team.

"Great job, Miss M!" Robin cried, giving her a hug. Superboy and Wally scowled. Artemis rolled her eyes.

"Artemis," called the Dark Knight.

Gulping, Artemis clutched her bow and approached the scene. She saw her 'uncle' giving her a silly, encouraging smile.

Then, it all changed.


	4. Artemis

**Must I say that I do not own Young Justice or the Justice League?**

Then, it all changed.

She was in the car.

"Oh, crap..." she hissed, seeing the seatbelt across her chest. She looked out the window, but saw only black shadows. "Crap..."

The car lurched to a stop, and Artemis looked over at her mom. The Vietnamese woman was covered in blood and bleeding heavily. You could see white bones sticking out of her back. Artemis wanted to scream, 'MOMMY!' but she didn't, because this was not her mother.

She slowly got out of the car and ran away, wiping tears off her cheeks.

She ran head-first into a chest. The archeress's eyes slowly traveled up the chest, covered in bright orange armor. She swore under her breath when she saw him: Sportsmaster.

_She was only twelve, but he didn't give a crap. It's not like he was her father or anything- oh, wait! He _was_... She grumbled, clutching her knife to her chest as she waited in the shadows. Her father was training her to be an assassin. She didn't want to be. She didn't want to be here. She didn't want to kill anyone._

_So, as she crouched in the bushes, she wondered to herself, 'Why _am _I here?'_

_But before she could answer her own rhetorical question, her target pulled up to the hotel. Grimacing, she sneaked around back, her eyes seeing the man by the X-ray goggles she wore. He checked in, his suitcase in his hand. The money. That's all this was about- that's all her life revolved around. Getting her dad money, no matter the cost. She had done this before._

_He got his key-card and got in the elevator. Artemis grabbed her grappling gun and shot it up. It hit almost three stories up on the twelve-story building. The man stopped at floor five._

_Grunting, the girl pulled herself up the side of the building. She got to the end of her rope and used her two knives to dig into the brick and stucco. She pulled herself up, the knives going in and out, in and out of the building's side, like how they would soon go in and out and in and out of her target's body._

_Why was she here?_

_She reached his room and silently picked the window lock. She crawled in._

_He was in the bathroom, humming. 'Eww', the young assassin thought. 'Who sings while they're doing their biz?' She shook her head and looked for the case. There!_

_Suddenly, the toliet flushed. Artemis was panting now. She grabbed the case and ran to the window._

"_HEY!" the man cried as he came out, taking his belt form the loops. He ran and grabbed her wrist. "Who are you?"_

_With scary accuracy, Artemis knocked the man out with only a push on the throat. He was at her feet now. She raised her knife, ready to slash his throat. But a voice in the back of her head yelled, "NO!"_

"_Mom?" she asked herself, incredulous._

"_NO!"_

_Artemis looked at the man._

_Why was she here?_

_She left- and regretted it._

_When she got 'home', Sportsmaster, her father, was there, waiting for her. He grabbed the case and the knife, and before Artemis knew it, the knife was in and out, in and out of her father's target._

Artemis glowered at her father. He held a knife and swung it at her, barely missing her neck as she ducked. They played cat-and-mouse for a few minutes. Sweat grew on Artemis's brow. She had to end this. Now.

Sportsmaster swung again, and Artemis grabbed his wrist. She dug her nails into the pressure point on his wrist. He dropped the knife and fell to his knees. The archer snatched it up and held it in both fists, raising it above her head, ready to strike.

She brought it down-

Into the ground.

The image faded. She looked up and saw Oliver's aprooving smile. Feeling good about herself, Artemis walked back to the sidelines. M'gann hugged her. "Excellent job, Artemis!"

"Yeah," Kid Flash said reluctantly. "Good job, Artie."

"Thanks, Baywatch."

Batman's voice filled the air for the fifth time. "Superboy."

Everyone watched. What could the clone of _Superman _be afraid of?

The black-haired boy reached center-stage and just stood there, fists clenched tightly. He closed his eyes, breathing in through his nose. It was a technique that Black Canary had taught him. Suddenly, he felt a small tingle on his skin. He opened his eyes.


	5. Superboy

**RAUGH! I SOLD MY MOM'S CAR AND MY OLDER BROTHER INTO SLAVERY AND I AM STILL 2 BILLION DOLLARS FROM OWNING DIS!**

**but seriously, I own neither Young Justice or da Justice League**

The black-haired boy reached center-stage and just stood there, fists clenched tightly. He closed his eyes, breathing in through his nose. It was a technique that Black Canary had taught him. Suddenly, he felt a small tingle on his skin. He opened his eyes.

Black Canary stood before him, smiling. Her body was covered in blood. But not her blood.

Superboy looked around her and gasped. His whole team lay dead, their eyes open wide, in pools and pools and gallons and gallons of the thick red stuff. He turned, tearful, to Black Canary.

"Why?" he asked her softly. "I- I always looked up to you..."

The heroine suddenly produced long ropes. She threw them at Superboy, and they attached themselves to the backs of his hands, his elbows, his feet, and his head. Black Canary then grew, grew until she was almost a hundred feet tall. With an evil laugh, she pulled the ropes, controlling Superboy's movements as if he was some doll.

He didn't cry. Rage filled his body. He scowled and tried to shake a sudden memory.

_He was being taught by the Geomorphs. Now, the clone of Superman was only about two weeks old, the equivilent to a six-year-old. His eyes moved under their lids as he saw pictures flash by his brain. Emotionless words filled his brain as he watched the scenes._

_Then, the next image came up. It was a girl, his age (well, relatively speaking). Her hair was long and blonde and fell around her purple-bruised face. The six-year-old gasped when he saw her legs and arms mangled._

_'This is child abuse,' the Geomorph said. The boy tried to shut his eyes, but they already were. He tried to turn away from the picture. The Geomorph sensed his stress and changed the image to one of a rainbow. 'This is a rainbow,' it said emotionlessly. 'It is the product or rain, sunlight, and-'_

_'Why do you always control my thoughts?' the boy thought to the creature._

_'Pardon me?'_

_'Why do you always control my thoughts?' the boy thought a bit louder._

_The creature laughed menacingly, and the boy shivered in his unconscious state. 'Because, dear child, I have control of _you_. You are mine. I have you, and you can do nothing about it.'_

_'I don't want you to control me!' the boy's thoughts yelped indignantly._

_'Do _not _take that tone with me, boy!_

_'I want to control myself!'_

_'Watch your tongue-'_

_'_You _watch _your _tongue!'_

_'THAT IS IT!'_

_Images of blood and gore filled the boy's mind, and his thoughts screamed for release. 'No! No, no, no, no! Please, I- I'll be good, I promise!'_

_'No,' the Geomorph replied. 'You need to know that I control you. I control your mind and your movements. I control when you sleep, when you absorb light, when you learn your lessons, when you do these things... I CONTROL YOU!'_

"_NO!"_

_That was the first word Superboy ever said. He spoke nothing more after that moment until he was found almost fourteen weeks later._

Superboy felt his arms and legs moving back and forth, without his consent.

He growled, anger boiling up like a volcano.

"You don't control me!"

He used one bouncing hand to rip away the ropes on his arm and did the same for his feet and head before freeing his other arm.

The image ceased.

His team applauded as he neared them. Wally grinned mischeviously. "Wow, Supes! You're a great dancer!"

Superboy blushed and sat down. Robin patted his shoulder. "Good job, Superboy. You did great!"

Superboy looked to the command center. Black Canary grinned proudly. Superman didn't even look at him.

"Robin," came Batman's voice.

Robin walked out, ready for whatever this machine threw at him. He had gotten all the way to level six! And, from what he had seen, he assumed it was set to level 5. He had already _beaten _that, so how hard could this really be? He had faced Joker, Penguin, and Scarecrow in level six, and he had beaten them all! What could this _machine _possible throw at him?

His froze. "Oh, God..."


	6. Robin slightly longer

**YAY! Everyone's been waiting for the last chapter- ROBIN! (but this makes the story slightly more Robic-centric- AS IT SHOULD BE!)**

**I do not own Young Justice or the Justice League**

***tears***

Robin walked out, ready for whatever this machine threw at him. He had gotten all the way to level six! And, from what he had seen, he assumed it was set to level 5. He had already _beaten _that, so how hard could this really be? He had faced Joker, Penguin, and Scarecrow in level six, and he had beaten them all! What could this _machine _possible throw at him?

His froze. "Oh, God..."

In the command center, Batman revved the level up to 8. Diana grabbed his hand. "Bruce! What do you think you're doing-"

"He can handle it," Batman snapped. "He already got to level six. This should be no problem for him."

Diana looked unconvinced, and the other Leaguers all seemed nervous as they watched the Boy Wonder.

Slowly, everything in his eyes faded to black.

Then, the circus appeared.

Robin felt all of the blood drain from his face as he saw the yellow and red tent, the ring on the floor, and- _the trapeze bars_. He looked up at the perches where the acrobats would wait for their turn.

Suddenly, a spotlight flashed in Robin's eyes. His own voice came over an invisible microphone. _"Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, I give you, _YOUNG JUSTICE!"

Robin gaped up at the perch. He saw Wally grabbing the bar. "No!" he cried out, trying to stop his friend.

But Wally jumped.

As he swung by, just at the arc of the swing, the ropes snapped.

"NO!" Robin screamed. Wally fell, down, down, down, down, down...

CRUNCH!

Kid Flash's head compacted with the hard ground. Blood exploded everywhere. Robin cried out as he felt his heart being ripped in two. The spotlight lit up the scene of red liquid all around his best friend's body. "No, no, no, no, no!" the young boy cried as he held his friend to his chest.

The spotlight lit up the perch again, and Robin gasped when he saw Artemis.

"NO!" he shrieked, running to catch her as she fell.

Her body crashed against the ground, too, becoming a mess of blood, bones, muscle, and skin. Robin fell to his knees, crying. He heard more crunches, _CRUNCH, CRUCH, CRUNCH!_

He didn't want to, but some force made him look up.

He was surrounded, a perfect circle, of his teammates, soaking in blood and looking at him with empty eyes. Tears streamed down Robin's face as he felt their blood seeping into the dirt below him.

"Nu, nu, nu, nu!" he screamed. "Wally... Artemis... Kaldur... Miss M... Superboy... Nu, nu, nu, nu, nu!" He pulled on his hair. The spotlight again ran up to the perch. Again, an outside force made the boy looked up. His tear-stained face paled when he saw Bruce- Bruce, in his normal clothes, a not-too-fancy suit and black dress shoes, grab onto the bar.

"NU!" he shrieked, grabbing his hair just as Bruce put both hands on the bar. "Nu te grabi! Nu! Nu! Ai sa cazi! Bruce! Bruce! Tazi! Nu ti grabi! NU!"

He heard the _CRUNCH!_

Memories flooded back.

"_Okay, Dickie," his mother said, patting her son's hair down. "Wait for your cue, okay, _draga?_"_

_The black-haired boy nodded, his blue eyes shining with pride as he saw his father walk up. "Mary, we need to go. Our cue is coming up."_

_He crouched down to be eye-to-eye with his son. He grabbed the boy's arms gently and kissed his forehead, wiping the long locks from his son's face. "I'm proud of you, Richard," he said with a grin. "This is your first show with us without a net!"_

_Dick nodded, trying to hide his nerves. But his parents saw. His mother crouched down next to her husband and held Richard's hand. "I won't let you fall, _draga_. Okay? Do you trust _Mamica _and _Tati_?"_

_Richard nodded, and his father kissed him again before saying, "_Te iubesc, Fiul_."_

_Richard hugged his father. "I love you, too, _Tati_."_

_Mary and John walked out to the perch, holding eachother's hands. Richard heard Mr. Haley cry out, "THE FLYING GRAYSONS!"_

_His mother and father did a few flips. Richard watched proudly, but heard something._

_He turned sharply and saw a man with a long, white scar running down his cheek. He held a long butcher's knife. "Hey!" Dick cried, recognizing the man as the mobster who had threatened Mr. Haley and John Grayson the night before. He had wanted money for 'protection' as he put it, but the two co-owners of Haley's Circus had rejected him and called the police._

_The man turned and grinned at the eight-year-old. "Hiya, Boyo! How're the parents? Not too good soon, I'd think..." And he walked off._

_Richard mumbled to himself in Romanian, wondering aloud what the mean man had meant._

"_...DICK GRAYSON!"_

_His cue!_

_Dick ran out onto the perch. He saw his mother arc as his father held onto her ankles. She came back to him, her hands out. But suddenly, her eyes grew wide. She screamed in Romanian, "FIUL!"_

"_NU!" Dick screamed, falling to his knees just as his parents fell to their deaths. He saw the whole thing- he heard the whole thing- the CRUNCH that went with the cracking of their skulls and bones, the SQUISH that went with their insides being tossed around, the SPLAT of their blood exploding everywhere._

_He knew what the mean man had meant now._

_He reached their sides and sat in the blood, sobbing his eyes out. "Mamica! Taticul! Nu, nu, nu! Sa nu fi mort! Nu ma lasa! Nu poti! Te-ai zis ca iubesti-ma! Nu ma lasa singur aici!"_

Robin didn't realize that he had been screaming out those exact words aloud. The same words he had screamed to them almost five years ago. He was on his knees, shaking violently, holding his hair in his hands.

Batman saw his son shaking. He paled and turned off the machine as he started screaming in his first language. All of the Leaguers ran after Batman as he dashed out onto the practice floor.

Robin was still shaking, still crying, still screaming in pain. His team surrounded him, trying to consol the young teenager. But he wouldn't be consolled. "_De ce? De ce? Dumnezeu ma uraste! Li lasa sa moara! Bruce, Bruce este mort... Mama este mort... Tati este mort... Eu sint singur... Toate singur... Nu, nu, nu, nu, nu! NU! NU! NU! Omoara-ma! Omoara-ma! OMOARA-MA!_"

Batman shoved away the teens and grabbed Robin's chin in one hand, untangling his left hand from his hair with the other. "Robin, Robin..."

"_OMOARA-MA! OMOARA-MA!_"

Batman's heart broke when he heard those words. He didn't know much Romanian, but he knew what those words meant... _"KILL ME! KILL ME!"_

Robin's face was red, and he still wasn't responding.

"ROBIN!" Batman shouted.

Robin's eyes snapped open, and he saw his father. He shuddered and threw his arms around Batman as he wept, speaking to him. "_Te-ai aruncat, Bruce... Te-ai aruncat, si ai cazut, si tu... tu... m-ai parasit, asa cum au facut_!" he cried out.

Batman tried to hush him. "Robin, Robin I would _never _let that happen..." he whispered in his son's ear as the others made a protective circle around the mentor and apprentice. "Robin, I would _never _leave you..."

Robin kept babbling in Romanian. The words echoed in Bruce's mind as they were spoken: _"Kill me!... Don't leave me, Bruce... You jumped, just like they did... Wally and M'gann and- and the others all jumped... I saw the blood... All the blood... So much blood... Kill me!"_

Bruce picked his son up in a cradle-hold and swiftly walked away towards the boy's room in Mount Justice. Barry, Oliver, and Clark followed. Kid Flash tried to follow, but Kaldur'ahm grabbed his arm.

"What?" he exploded on his leader. "Look, Rob's hurt, or upset, or... something! I've got to be there for him!"

"We need to let Batman deal with him," Kaldur replied evenly.

Kid Flash looked furious, but he didn't try to leave.

The Young Justice turned to the adult heroes. Green Lantern and Hawkgirl stood there, shocked at what had happened. Green Lantern was also angry, angry at Batman for turning up the level so high. That's what had set Dick off like that... J'onn was trying to consol M'gann, who was, for a lack of better terms, flipping out. Black Canary was trying to keep Superboy from killing someone. Red Tornado seemed indifferent. And Diana- Diana was pale, the blood drained from her face.

Artemis brought it up first. "What the _heck _was Rob saying?"

Diana almost collapsed at this. Shayera and John helped her sit on the couch. Kaldur'ahm rushed to the woman's side. "Wonder Woman, ma'am, are you well?"

She shook her head, eyes still wide open, face still pale. She tried to form words. "He- he was- he was speaking Romanian..."

Superboy was a _bit _calmer. He cocked an eyebrow. "How does Robin know Romanian?"

Diana didn't want to give anything away, and the other Leaguers looked at her sharply as if to say _"Change the subject, change the subject_..."

"He was trained by Batman," she lied.

"But why Romanian and not English?" Artemis accused.

Shayera gave in first. "It's his first language, even before English."

Young Justice looked incredulous. Wally approached Wonder Woman. "What was he saying?"

She shuddered, shaking her head, and repeated the phrase that stuck out in her brain. "_Omoara-ma_... _Omoara-ma_..." Everyone looked at her worriedly.

"What does it mean?" M'gann asked slowly, innocently.

Diana, tears overflowing, wetting her eyelashes, looked M'gann in the eyes. "Kill me..."

Meanwhile, Bruce was tucking his son into bed, having removed the boy's cape, belt, shoes, and gloves. He rubbed the boy's head slowly, holding his hand the whole time as Dick muttered over and over, "_Au murit... Au murit... Au murit..._"

Tears filled his eyes, and the Dark Knight struggled to hide them.

Only Oliver, Barry, and Clark felt like Robin was their nephew, they were all extremely worried. Clark was also furious, _furious _as in super P.O.'ed. He glared at Bruce. "You just _had _to up the level, didn't you?"

Bruce stood to face Clark, but Robin whimpered and reached for his father's hand. Bruce sat back down, his eyes on Dick the whole time. But Clark wasn't done. "He saw them, didn't he? He saw them die-"

"NU!" Robin screamed at the 'd' word. "NU! NU! NU! MAMICA! TATI!"

Bruce hushed his son and glared at Clark, the Bat-glare, no- even _worse _than the Bat-glare- it was the _Daddy-Bats-Glare_.

Barry sat on the other side of the bed and held Robin's free hand as the boy wept. Oliver pulled Clark away. "Bruce didn't realize that Dick would see his- would see _them_..."

"Well he should have!" Clark growled.

Barry opened his mouth to speak, but Bruce cut him off. "Clark's right... It was a stupid move. I should have known... It's just, he told me about how the other times he had done it, it was Joker and Freeze and Scarecrow and Penguin, but never..." A tear slipped from beneath his mask. He quickly turned away from his teammates, but they had seen it. "I-" his voice croaked. "I'm a fool..."

Robin had fallen asleep, but Bruce didn't move.

It was silent for the longest of moments, then Barry said, "The kids are gonna want to know what he was saying, and what he... saw and all-"

"He didn't just remember it, Barry," Bruce snapped. Barry recoiled. "He-" Bruce stammered as he continued, "-he saw his teammates jump... He relived that moment... He _lived _in his team's de- in _that _moment..." His voice broke again. "He saw me fall..."

It was quiet again.

Bruce suddenly said, "_Omoara-ma..._"

"What?" Barry and Oliver said in unison.

"What he said last," Bruce spoke with no emotion, "_Omoara-ma_..."

"What does it mean?" Clark asked slowly.

Bruce didn't answer.

Barry and Oliver eyed eachother, then went to leave. "We'll think something up to tell the kids and the others," Barry said over his shoulder. They left.

Clark put a hand on Bruce's shoulder, and, shockingly, the Dark Knight didn't pull away. Clark opened his mouth to speak, but didn't know what to say. He stood there, mouth opening and closing like a fish for a few moments, then snapped his jaws shut. He squeezed Bruce's shoulder, then left the room, shutting the door behind him, sending the room into complete shadows.

Robin's voice sounded in the black. When had he woken up? "Bruce?..."

"I'm here, Dick," Batman said, blindly brushing hair from his son's face. "I'm not leaving, I promise. And, Dickie, I am so, _so _sorry about... About the Check... I-"

"Don't," Dick said suddenly. "Don't, Bruce... It wasn't your fault. The test was to see if we could face our fears. I guess I'm just not as strong as I thought I was... I'm a weakling..."

"You were on level 8."

Dick froze. "W-what?"

"I set them on level 5, but I thought you could handle level 8."

Robin suddenly chuckled. Bruce frowned. "Dick, what's-"

"You are finally wrong. For once, you're wrong..."

Bruce sighed. "Dick, I..."

Dick's eyes flew around the room. Now that they had adjusted to the dark, he could barely see his father's blue eyes mirroring his own.

Bruce spoke. "Dick, you are the strongest person I know... To have gone through everything you've gone through-" Dick flinched, and Bruce gripped his hand tighter, "- Dick, I just mean... I'm proud of you, son..."

Dick smiled softly, then nestled deeper into his pillow. "B- Bruce?"

"Hm?"

"W- Will you stay with me?"

Bruce smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'll stay."

And he sat there for the next eight hours while Robin slept, rubbing circles into the boy's hand. "I love you, son," he said softly, kissing Robin's forehead.

To his surprise, there came an answer: "_Te iubesc, prea, Tata_..."

"_I love you, too, Dad..."_


End file.
